Improvement in torpedoes for oil-wells



A. T. BALLANTlNE.

-Torpado "fof Oil Wells.

810.80896. ,Patented Aug. 11,1868.

N. PErEHs, Phuwmnugmpher. wasmngwn. u. C.

UNITED STATES. PATENT OEEIGE.

ALEXANDER TQBALLANTINE, on TiTUsvILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN TORPEDOES FOR OIL-WELLS, 86C.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 80,896, dated August11, 1868.

To all whom it may concer-n:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER T. BALLAN- TINE, of rlitusville, in thecounty of Crawford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented anew anduseful Improvement in Torpedoes for Oil- Wells, and other places orpurposes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing, formingpart of this specication, and which represents a vertical orlongitudinal view, mainly in section, of a torpedo constructed inaccordance with my improvement.

This my improved torpedo is more especially designed for use inoil-wells, for the purpose of tapping or bursting fresh pockets, orotherwise quickening or starting the flow of oil in a well that hasbecome sluggish or ceased to yield, and in such connection will be hereso described.

Torpedoes, as ordinarily constructed for this purpose, have been liableto many serious objections, among which may be mentioned their tendencyto leak, especiallywhen working at great depths, the water under heavypressure passing through the packing round the exploding rod or plunger,into and amongst the powder or charge in the magazine or body of thetorpedo 5 also, the liability of the device to be accidentally explodedby loose stone or rock falling upon such plunger;l likewise, theexplosion of the charge at or near its top, to the loss or diminution ofits effect, by the dampening action of the water before ignition can beeffected throughout 5 and, furthermore, the obstacle to clearing out the'wel1,`which'the use of a long loose weight for operating theexploding-plunger presents by its remaining unshattered in theexplosion. These are objections which are more or less productive ofdanger, loss of time, labor, and material; nor are such removed, butonly remedied in part, by the torpedo secured to me by Letters PatentNo. 50,324 of the United States, bearing date October 10, 1865, and inwhich the apparatus is constructed so as to facilitate removal afterexplosion, and so that it is exploded by its own weight after it hasnearly reached the point to be acted upon.

All of the before-mentioned several objections, however, are avoided,and certain special or peculiar advantages obtained by this myinvention, which consists in a torpedo that body, the plunger and pocketbeing so con-` structed as that the one forms an anvil, andy the othercarries a percussion cap or pellet to re the charge in the plunger, andalso, indirectly, the charge in the main body or magazine; and saidinvention further embraces a novel mode of suspending the torpedo by orthrough its free or loose plunger, in connection withthe bail, toestablish or facilitate the action ofthe parts, as above referred to,and whereby the torpedo is protected from accidental explosion on thestriking of the plunger by extraneous matter.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, A

yrepresents the body or magazine of the torpedo, designed to be iilledwith powder or other suitable explosive compound, which is enteredthrough its top, that is afterward closed vby a screw or other cap, B,and the joint made tight by lead or otherwise. (l is the bail by whichthe torpedo is slung and raised or lowered, as will be hereinafterdescribed.

Cast to or otherwise forming a close junction with the cap B is a longpocket or cylinder, D, arranged to project centrally down into the bodyA for about half its depth, more or less. This cylinder is of a closecharacter, excepting at its top, where it is open, and forms orestablishes junction with a packing-chamber or A stuffing-box, a, on orto the cap B.

The bottom b of said cylinder or pocket constitutes an anvil, on orthrough which'the explosion is produced by means of a free orindependent rod or plunger, E, which is formed hollow and close, top andbottom, its lower end being closed by, say, a removable nipple,

c, or otherlsuitable provision made for entering within said plunger acharge of primingpowder or other explosive mixture, and for carryingon'the lower end of the plunger a percussion-cap or exploding-pellet.The plunger E fits in a free or sliding manner withinthe pocket D, andis somewhat longer than the latter, so as to project above and throughthe stuffing-box c to a point, when down, beA

lowV the top of the bail C, and, when inserted, is packed by cotton orother suitable material introduced around it within the boX a.

From this description, it will be seen that on the torpedo beingsubmerged no water can leak or pass through the stuffing-box a to themagazine A, by reason of the close character of the pocket D, so that,even in the event of water passing through the stuffing-box, and thepercussion cap or pellet not serving to fully protect the charge in theplunger E, the only damage to the torpedo which can be produced by suchleakage will be the damping or spoiling of the powder in said plunger;and as this latter device is free to be removed, the pocket D may bedrained, and another dry loaded plunger substituted, thus eXpediting thework, and saving the main charge in the magazine A from being damped orspoiled.

Another advantage attendant upon the removable character of the loadedand capped plunger E is the security which is afforded againstaccidental explosion, as said plunger need not be inserted till orbefore it is required to use the torpedo. l

To work the device, the capped and loaded plunger E is passed throughthe stuing-box a into the pocket D, and packed as described. Thelowering wire or rope F is then entered through an eye in the top of theplunger, and made to form a loop, d, which laps on either side of thebail C, so that when the torpedo is suspended the top of the plungerrests under and against the bail, and so continues during the loweringof the device into the well, or unt-il such time as the pressure of thewater, which is considerable at even an ordinary depth, acts on the topof the plunger E, and on a corresponding area of the vbottom of the bodyA, to bring these two together, as it were, or rather to bring thenipple end of the plunger down on or against the anvil b, when, or atany period afterward, the torpedo may be exploded by simply pulling onthe rope or wire till the top of the plunger strikes the bail, and thensuddenly releasing the wire, when the plunger E, by the pressure of thewater on its top,wi1lbe suddenly and violently shot down, causing thepercussion cap or pellet to strike the anvil b, and so to explode thecharge in the plunger, bursting the latter, also the pocket D, andigniting or exploding the powder in the magazine A, so that nothing willbe left of the entire device to foul or clog the well, and the magazinebe exploded or ignited midway, or thereabout, of its charge, whereby,the travel of the iire being divided, the whole of the powder may beexploded before the water can enter to damp it, thus adding to theefficiency of the device. It will likewise be seen that by reason of thesuspension of the torpedo being effected through the plunger E, rock orstone falling on its top in the well will fail to produce an accidentalor premature explosion, and that the whole device may be swung to andfro without risk or damage.

A torpedo thus constructed and operating may be used to advantage forvarious other purposes than that here described.

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. The hollow and loaded explodin g-plunger E, acting', by the pressureof the water on its end, to ignite the charge, substantially as specied.

2. The combination of the hollow and loaded exploding-plunger E with theclose cylinder or pocket D, arranged to project down within the body ormagazine A, said plunger and pocket being so constructed as that thelatter forms an anvil, and the former carries a percussioncap or pellet,for operation together to iire the charge in the plunger, and, throughthe bursting of the latter and its pocket, also the charge in the bodyor magazine A, essentially' as herein set forth.

3. The combination of the free or independent eXploding-plu-nger E withthe body A and its bail C, in such manner as that the torpedo is or maybe suspended, through a loop made in the lowering wire or rope, directlyby said plunger, and indirectly by or through its bail, substantially asshown and described.

ALEX. T. BALLANTINE.

Witnesses:

J. W. GooMBs, A. LE CLERC.

